Taiwan News Quick Take

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Staff Writer, with CNA

VIDEO GAMES

Xbox live gets trial period

Microsoft Taiwan Corp will offer consumers a free seven-day trial of its Xbox live service, in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act (消費者保護法), a local government official said yesterday. The software giant and game console producer is following in the steps of Apple Inc and Groupon, which agreed last month to a request by the Taipei City Government to an unconditional seven-day refund period. In response to complaints from consumers that Microsoft had no refund policy for its Xbox online service in Taiwan, the city government urged the company to rectify the situation, said Yeh Ching-yuan (葉慶元), director of Taipei’s Law and Regulation Commission. On Aug. 15, Microsoft agreed to allow a free seven-day trial of its Xbox service in Taiwan, in keeping with Article 19 of the Consumer Protection Law, Yeh said.

SOCIETY

Youths embark on bike trip

More than 100 young adults and teenagers expressed determination yesterday to complete an 11-day bike journey around the country to celebrate their transition to adulthood. The 110 young people, aged between 18 and 20, were set to begin their 1,000km trip from Taipei today as a rite of passage to mark their coming of age. The “Change Your World” event, being held for the third year, is organized by the Sports Affairs Council and the Taiwan Bike Association. It is aimed at encouraging young people to travel around the island to get a better understanding of the place in which they live. The 1,000km event is the final stage of a larger event that included 500km trips nationwide last month for 18-year-olds.

CULTURE

Hakka writer dies at 70

Hakka writer Chung Tie-min (鍾鐵民) died peacefully at his home in Meinong (美濃), Greater Kaohsiung, on Monday. He was 70. He was the eldest son of late writer Chung Li-ho (鍾理和). Chung Tie-min checked into Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital early this month with complications relating to heart disease. He did not respond to treatment and family members decided to have him discharged on Monday so he could spend his final moments at home, in accordance with local customs. To promote Taiwanese literature, the Chung Li-ho Cultural and Educational Foundation said that he had successfully advocated the building of a memorial museum dedicated to his father. A memorial for Chung Tie-min will be held at the Chung Li-ho Memorial Museum on Sept. 10.

EDUCATION

Wu warns Chinese nationals

Chinese nationals who will attend universities and colleges in Taiwan this fall should avoid taking part in activities involving political issues, Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基) said. Wu said extracurricular activities and clubs are good ways for students to help develop their originality and competitiveness, but Chinese students who will study in Taiwan this fall should avoid attending any activities involving politics to avoid unnecessary negative outcomes. More than 1,000 students from China have been accepted into undergraduate programs in Taiwanese universities for the fall semester, the first time Chinese nationals have been allowed into the country’s higher education institutions as full-time students. Another 220 Chinese students have been admitted into master’s degree programs and 28 into